We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Dr Rotimi Bakare, also known as North Croydon Medical Centre, on 21 June 2016. Overall the practice is rated as good.

Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:

• There was an open and transparent approach to safety and an effective system in place for reporting and recording significant events, however, in one recent instance a copy of the outcome letter sent to the patient had not been retained.
• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.
• Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance. Staff had been trained to provide them with the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care and treatment.
• Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
• Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.
• Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and there was continuity of care, with urgent appointments available the same day.
• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
• There was a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by management. The practice proactively sought feedback from staff and patients, which it acted on.
• The provider was aware of and complied with the requirements of the duty of candour.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• Review and act upon low results identified in the GP Patient survey (January 2016).

• Review arrangements in place to ensure that patients with caring responsibilities are identified, so their needs are identified and can be met.

• Review data from the Quality and Outcomes Framework and continue to improve patient outcomes, including but not limited to, diabetes and mental health.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP

Chief Inspector of General Practice

On this occasion, we did not speak with people using the service as part of our inspection.

We found that the provider had made significant improvements to the environment throughout the building and that information was available for patients on the complaint process.

During our inspection we spoke with the services registered manager, the practice manager, a General Practitioner (GP), a health care assistant, two receptionists and an administration assistant.

We also spoke with five people who were using the Medical Centre on the day of our inspection. They told us that staff who worked there treated them with respect and that overall they felt satisfied with the service they received from the practice. One patient said “I’ve moved three times but I still come here because I like it”. Another patient told us “we are really happy with the service especially Doctor Bakare”. Throughout our visit we saw practice staff always interacted with patients in a kind, respectful and helpful manner.

The results of the 2012-13 GP Patient Survey run on behalf of NHS England indicated that 63% of patients who had taken part described their overall experience of using the practice as good. Most people said they would recommend the practice to people they knew.

However, although patients we met told us they were generally happy with the medical services they received at the practice; we found that failures to maintain a safe environment may have put patients and others such as staff and visitors at risk. We also found the practices complaints procedure was not particularly well-publicised, which meant patients might not know how to access information about how to make a complaint if they were dissatisfied with the service they had received.